PARENTS of pupils at North Yorkshire schools and care home residents have been reassured over the horsemeat scandal.

North Yorkshire County Council has issued a statement to all schools in the region saying its caterers only use fresh meat and poultry, which comes from Yorkshire farms, and spot checks on food being served to youngsters and the elderly have proved “satisfactory”.

The authority is now carrying out further checks, for which results have yet to be announced. It supplies 85 per cent of North Yorkshire schools, with all meat for school meals and those in elderly people’s homes being bought from Gilmoors in Harrogate.

“We do not use frozen processed products which contain meat in the meals we provide,” said Keith Tilbrook, manager of North Yorkshire County Caterers.